Tag: wisconsin covid

Who are the 2020 Michigan Wolverines?

Unlike the No. 13 Wisconsin Badgers, who have only played one game thus far, Jim Harbaugh and the 1-2 Michigan Wolverines have been in action each weekend to start the season. Long story short: it hasn’t been that pretty. Since the Harbaugh era …

Unlike the No. 13 Wisconsin Badgers, who have only played one game thus far, Jim Harbaugh and the 1-2 Michigan Wolverines have been in action each weekend to start the season. Long story short: it hasn’t been that pretty.

Since the Harbaugh era began in Ann Arbor you could use a few words to define his teams: sub-par quarterback play, an average yet consistent offense and an uber-talented and dominant defense.

Related: Can Graham Mertz play this Saturday?

This year, though, it seems like most of that has been turned on its head.

There are still a lot of question marks surrounding the matchup including who will be able to suit up for the Badgers and whether Graham Mertz will start at quarterback.

That all can be put aside for a second as we go in-depth into 2020 Michigan Wolverines.

 

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Five keys to a Wisconsin victory over Michigan on Saturday

Head Coach Paul Chryst and the No. 13 Wisconsin Badgers will be back in action Saturday against Jim Harbaugh and the 1-2 Michigan…

Head Coach Paul Chryst and the No. 13 Wisconsin Badgers will be back in action Saturday against Jim Harbaugh and the 1-2 Michigan Wolverines, a game date that will mark 22 days after their Week 1 contest against Illinois.

The last few weeks in Madison have not been easy, as the team opened the season with a dominant 45-7 victory Illinois, experienced a COVID-19 outbreak within the program, saw two of their games canceled and had to wait until just recently to return to the field for normal preparation.

Related: Can Graham Mertz play this Saturday?

It’s finally game week, though, and the Badgers’ upcoming battle against the Wolverines is a captivating one on many levels.

First, the Badgers:

The team will likely be without key contributors due to the Big Ten’s COVID-19 protocol. Those players, or how many there are, are not known. They did look utterly dominant in Week 1, though, but that could have been just what comes with playing Illinois.

Now, the Wolverines:

Harbaugh’s team sits at 1-2 on the season after disappointing losses against Michigan State and Indiana. They don’t have the talent to compete with Ohio State in the Big Ten East, but this year is shaping up to be yet another letdown for Michigan fans after Harbaugh came to the program with sky-high aspirations.

Then there’s the battle of young quarterbacks in Graham Mertz (hopefully) and Joe Milton, the Wolverines being the team that enters the game with a dominant rushing attack and Harbaugh’s squad losing arguably their best defensive player.

Related: ‘Next man up;” how the Badgers plan to possibly play without some of their Week 1 starters

It is shaping up to be an interesting, interesting game.

So, without further ado, here are five keys to a Wisconsin victory on Saturday:

 

Related:

‘Next man up;’ how the Badgers plan to possibly play without some of their Week 1 starters

In welcome news for Badger fans, after what will be a three-week layoff, Paul Chryst and the 1-0 Wisconsin Badgers are set to take the…

In welcome news for Badger fans, after what will be a three-week layoff Paul Chryst and the 1-0 Wisconsin Badgers are set to take the field on Saturday against Jim Harbaugh and the 1-2 Michigan Wolverines.

It’s been a tough couple of weeks in Badger land, as the team opened the season with a dominant 45-7 victory Illinois, experienced a COVID-19 outbreak within the program, saw two of their games canceled and had to wait until just recently to return to the field for normal preparation.

“They’ve been rough,” junior inside linebacker Jack Sanborn said when meeting with the media today. “To start it up this week, we’re all really excited about the opportunity we have at hand.”

Wide receiver Kendric Pryor shared Sanborn’s sentiment, saying the excitement is real and “the energy has been great. Everybody came out there today and yesterday with great energy and focused because two games got taken away just like that.”

When Sanborn, Pryor and the Badgers do end up taking the field on Saturday, it’s likely they’ll do so without some of the players we saw start for the team in Week 1.

Related: Can Graham Mertz play this Saturday?

While who will or how many players will miss the game is unknown, Pryor and Sanborn both shared three words about the current situation: “Next man up.”

Pryor, up first in the presser, said they will go into Ann Arbor with the guys they have, and both he and his team are confident they can come away with a victory.

When asked about whether redshirt freshman Graham Mertz will play, or what it would be like without him on the field, Pryor responded by saying “I feel confident. I’m obviously not sure about Mertz’s situation, but I’m confident in whoever goes out there.”

Sanborn practically mirrored Pryor’s sentiment surrounding the current situation, noting that no matter who misses the game, whoever plays is there for a reason.

The team’s attitude? “Next man up.”

Related: 3 things to watch for against Michigan this weekend

The depth chart aside, preparing for Saturday’s game has been unlike anything the players have experienced to date. During a normal season, even with bye weeks, they are able to meet in-person, practice and have normal workout routines.

Now, given they’ve been back in quarantine and unable to practice together, Sanborn praised the team’s attitude and mindset over the last few weeks and entering the week of practice.

“From what I’ve seen our team has approached it really well,” Sanborn said. “Each week it’s ‘on to the next week, who’s our opponent.’ I think we’ve had a good mindset and approach to it.”

Pryor noted that this is just another form of adversity that usually comes with a football season, just obviously this adversity is team-wide and not specific to a single player.

He finished by saying it isn’t about what you go through, as nobody will feel sorry for them going into quarantine and missing two games. “It’s about how you battle back from it,” Pryor said.

The Badgers will take the field in Ann Arbor this Saturday at 6:30 central. Whether they do so without key pieces is yet to be seen, but the team is confident about their preparation and who will play, and is excited about the opportunity to return (again) to playing football.

 

Stay tuned to BadgersWire all week as we preview the Michigan contest and follow the news of who will be able to put pads on and take the field.

HC Paul Chryst discusses the COVID-19 status of his team heading into Saturday

All signs point towards the Wisconsin Badgers returning to the field this weekend against the Michigan Wolverines in what will be…

All signs point towards the Wisconsin Badgers returning to the field this weekend against the Michigan Wolverines in what will be their first game in 3 weeks.

Head Coach Paul Chryst met with the media today and discussed the contest, his experience with COVID-19 and the current COVID-19 status with the team.

Related: 3 things to watch for against Michigan this weekend

The main message: it is great to be back with the team and begin a normal week of preparation, though there is still a lot up in the air about who will be able to suit up on Saturday.

Chryst was asked specifically about the depth chart and how many players will miss the game, to which he responded by saying he doesn’t know how it will shake out with when players can return to practice and whether they will have enough practice time to get ready.

He did say, though, that there will likely be players that will receive snaps this weekend that “three weeks ago weren’t in that position.”

Related: A senior Badger makes the 2021 preseason Big Ten first team

In terms of redshirt freshman quarterback Graham Mertz (probably the player everybody wants to know about), Chryst said he has returned to football activity and “will have some practice.” Whether that is enough preparation to play against Michigan, like much about the current situation, is yet to be seen.

Per Big Ten rules Mertz can play if he is cleared by a cardiologist and all goes well with his conditioning and practice this week. The outstanding variable at this point is how conditioned he will be after isolating with COVID-19 and whether he has enough practice time to prepare.

In terms of his own experience with the virus, Chryst said he “did not have a lot of symptoms” after testing positive.

 

Stay tuned to BadgersWire as we follow the ongoing story that is COVID-19 within the Badger football program and preview the upcoming contest against Jim Harbaugh and the 1-2 Michigan Wolverines.

It looks like the Wisconsin Badgers will be back in action this weekend

After the Wisconsin football program paused team activities almost two weeks ago, there is finally news that points toward the team…

After the Wisconsin football program paused team activities almost two weeks ago, there is finally news that points toward the team being back in action this weekend against the Michigan Wolverines.

In a release from the program today Athletic Director Barry Alvarez said “We feel confident that we have a handle on the situation and are excited to play this week at Michigan.”

Related: 3 things to watch for against Michigan this weekend

The release included his comment in addition to noting the program currently has five active COVID-19 cases–two student-athletes and 3 staff members–and has had zero positive tests five of the last six days.

From the release:

“‘We had no new positives on Tuesday and Wednesday which was a great sign,’ UW Director of Athletics Barry Alvarez said. ‘That’s when we started thinking Friday could be a day we could get the team together to start doing things with an eye towards having a regular practice week this week. So we were cautious on Friday and Saturday, split guys into groups, and just did conditioning. The team then got together and held its regular Monday practice this morning.'”

 

Stay tuned to BadgersWire all week as we preview the contest against Michigan and explain what you should expect from the Badgers this weekend.

We can (almost) finally say it: Badger football is back.

Wisconsin vs. Michigan: Series history

It has now been 17 days since the Wisconsin Badgers throttled the Illinois Fighting Illini 45-7 and started their season 1-0. After their…

It has now been 17 days since the Wisconsin Badgers throttled the Illinois Fighting Illini 45-7 and started their season 1-0.

After their Week 2 game against Nebraska and Week 3 game against Purdue were canceled due to COVID-19 cases within the program, things seem to now be taking a turn with Saturday’s game against the Michigan Wolverines, at this point, set to be played.

Related: Wisconsin is in the hunt for a four-star safety who is the son of a Packers legend

The Wolverines sit at 1-2 on the year after opening their season with a decisive win against Minnesota, losing as more than 20-point favorites against Michigan State and this weekend falling 38-21 against Michael Penix Jr. and the 3-0 Indiana Hoosiers.

The Badgers have taken the field against the Wolverines 68 times in their history. After their win last year, the all-time series sits at 51-16-1 in favor of Michigan.

Much of those wins, however, came back in the 1960s, 70s and 80s when the Maize and Blue went on a 23-1 run.

Recent history has seen the power shift a bit, with the Badgers boasting a 6-4 edge since 2005.

The most recent contests between the two teams have formed a clear pattern of the home team coming out on top–with Chryst and company losing in Ann Arbor in 2016, winning in Madison in 2017, losing in Ann Arbor in 2018 and winning in Madison again in 2019.

Yes, this year’s game will be played in the Big House, but given the Wolverines being 1-2 and looking far-from-dominant on both sides of the football and the Badgers having missed their last two games–it’s anybody’s guess who holds the edge entering the contest.

 

Going through the two teams’ all-time records, here are some other facts to note:

  • Michigan has the most wins in college football history
  • Wisconsin bests them in one area: Bowl record
  • Michigan’s largest margin of victory in the series is 56-0 back in 1977
  • Wisconsin’s largest margin of victory is 34-12 back in 1962
  • Michigan has the second-most national championships of all time, the third-most conference championships, the third-most consensus All-Americans, the fourth-highest all-time winning percentage and the fifth-most Heisman winners and NFL Draft picks
  • Michigan will be without defensive leader Aidan Hutchinson this weekend after he suffered an ankle injury against Indiana

Michigan will be without one of their defensive leaders against Wisconsin this weekend

The Michigan Wolverines had another disappointing performance yesterday against Michael Penix Jr. and the Indiana Hoosiers…

The Michigan Wolverines had another disappointing performance yesterday against Michael Penix Jr. and the Indiana Hoosiers, losing 38-21 and falling to 1-2 on the season.

Adding insult to injury, during the Wolverines’ first defensive series star defensive end Aidan Hutchinson injured his right ankle and is now out indefinitely.

Hutchinson is a team captain, one of their defensive leaders, arguably their most productive defender and is projected to be a top-25 prospect for the 2021 NFL Draft.

Related: Rumor: A former Badger could be on the move after the 2020 season

How much production is the Wolverine defense losing? The star defensive end recorded 69 tackles last season, 10 tackles-for-loss, 3.5 sacks, 6 passes defended and 3 forced fumbles.

Through two games this year the junior tallied 13 tackles and one pass defended.

As written by our friends at WolverinesWire, despite losing Hutchinson the defensive line improved its play yesterday.

From their piece on what they learned from the contest against Indiana:

“Michigan’s defensive line have had two completely different games to start the season. They were able to get to Tanner Morgan at will when they faced Minnesota, but were unable to even breathe on Rocky Lombardi…

Michigan’s star defensive end, Aidan Hutchinson, went out of the game early in the first quarter. Typically, losing a player of that caliber, would really hurt. But, Michigan was still able to maintain solid pressure all game against Penix.

The Wolverines were unable to record a sack today, but countless times Penix had to leave the pocket and scramble around — which lead to some really good throws and catches. Luiji Vilian and Taylor Upshaw had pretty good games, seeing more playing time with Hutchinson going down.

The only downside to the line today were the multitude of offside penalties. I believe two of them resulted in Penix throwing the ball up for grabs in the end zone — which resulted in touchdowns.

Once the penalties get shored up, this line looks to have some solid potential. The status of Hutchinson is still unknown, and Michigan will definitely want him back when they take on Wisconsin next week.”

The defensive line may have had a good showing, but as we learned last night Hutchinson is lining up to miss the contest against the Badgers on Saturday.

From a pure production and football perspective, this should help the Badgers find a rhythm in the running game after struggling to push the ball forward on the ground for the first three quarters against Illinois.

 

Stay tuned to BadgersWire all week as we preview the Badgers’ contest against the Wolverines and follow the ongoing COVID-19 status within the program.

An update on Wisconsin football’s COVID-19 outbreak

The latest testing info surrounding Wisconsin’s COVID-19 outbreak

The last four days in the world of Wisconsin football have felt like a repeat of the sports world on March 11. The school, in cooperation with the athletic department, made the decision on Wednesday to cancel this Saturday’s game against Nebraska due to rising COVID-19 numbers.

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Just minutes ago, the school released an update on their testing numbers.

In addition to the numbers released, Wisconsin confirmed that AD Barry Alvarez has tested negative for COVID-19 via a PCR test taken yesterday.

Two of the three new positive tests were confirmed this morning, while one was received late yesterday.

Players who have not tested positive have been put up at a local hotel in individual rooms. The earliest that Wisconsin football can return to any football activity is Wednesday, Nov. 4.